This doctoral project empirically explores (im)mobility aspirations and its development implications. Firstly, it conducts a pioneering global analysis on the determinants of staying preferences. Secondly, it investigates the impact of unfulfilled migration aspirations on Senegalese youth ’s wellbeing, offering insights into the societal implications of the aspiration-capability discussion. Lastly, it assesses adaptation mechanisms like irrigation in mitigating migration aspirations following droughts.